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As I studied Steps to Knowledge, the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God, it first seemed like a relatively solitary practice. There were some people I would correspond with, but the steps were mostly speaking to my life story.

I didn’t notice this the first time I studied Steps to Knowledge, but in the second time through, I noticed this paragraph of Step 342, “I am a student of Knowledge today,” as a prayer for students of Knowledge. It seems to work to pray it for one’s self, or to pray it for someone else.

Today you are a student of Knowledge. You are following your preparation step by step. You are learning to be unburdened of your own judgment and anxiety. You are learning to be confirmed by the presence of Knowledge within you and by the presence of love within your life. You are learning to honor yourself and learning to appreciate your world. You are learning to recognize your responsibility and learning to recognize the world’s need for this responsibility to be carried forth. You are learning to be still within and meaningfully engaged without. You are learning to receive. You are learning to give. You are learning to recognize that your life is being redeemed.

How shall I pray for a student of Knowledge? This is my prayer for you.

The science fiction community is celebrating the contributions and mourning the departure of Jerry Pournelle (1933-2017) on September 8. The most well known obituary in national media I know of is the one written by Glenn Reynolds in USA Today. There are a number of things I wish to share about his life.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success

Jerry Pournelle will be remembered for his collaborations with Larry Niven. Niven is an acclaimed science-fiction writer in his own right. Their partnership started in 1974 with The Mote in God’s Eye, a tale of humanity’s first contact with non-human intelligent life. This fertile partnership would continue until 2012, with many books, collections, and sequels. I consider this an illustration of one of the steps and teachings of Steps to Knowledge, the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God. What’s a group effort? Everything. Everything that matters. Everything that helps someone. Step 45 of Steps to Knowledge declares:

“Alone you can do nothing. Nothing has ever been accomplished alone, even in your world. Nothing has ever been created alone, even in your mind.There is no credit to be received by doing something alone. Everything is a joint effort. Everything is the product of relationship.”

Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven had a fruitful relationship.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success. Niven and Pournelle explored various aspects of humanity’s emergence into a greater community of intelligent life. In the 1985 book Footfall, humanity experiences an alien invasion. I realize that doesn’t seem particularly inventive. But the invasion is an act of desperation by a race whose home world has experienced environmental destruction. The value of this book is the why, as opposed to the what.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success. Maybe there are conflicts out there in Known Space, as Niven called it. How will humanity respond? Larry Niven introduced us to the Kzinti, a warlike species of cat-like aliens in the 1960s. Pournelle and Niven presided over fourteen volumes of the Man-Kzin Wars series as writers and editors.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success. One of the distinctives of the New Message from God is a great deal of teaching and emphasis on humanity’s forthcoming emergence into a greater community of intelligent life. The books Greater Community Spirituality and Life in the Universe are instances of this. The interstellar neighborhood described in these books doesn’t resemble what has been imagined by Pournelle and Niven, but I appreciate the effort made to contemplate the future.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success. The only Niven and Pournelle book I have actually read is Fallen Angels, written in 1991 with Michael Flynn. I took enjoyment in this book because it imagined a world where science and technology have been rejected in favor of crystals and feelings. It imagined a world where combating global warming had succeeded all too well and resulted in an ice age. Finally, it was a valentine to the golden age of science-fiction fandom in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

He spoke to our strength, dreamed of our success. Pournelle and Niven were known as “hard” science fiction writers. That means they not only imagined certain futures, but wrote about how the futures they imagined might actually exist. Fallen Angels is an instance of this, where there is a discussion of global temperature over the past few thousand years. And because of this, there was a certain strength to their optimism. In the future of Niven and Pournelle, humanity has a future. In the future of the New Message from God, humanity has a future if and only if it will prepare for it.

A New Message from God? Why is it here?

What has been declared thus far? Just as God has spoken to humanity on certain occasions, God is speaking to humanity again. God is speaking to humanity again because humanity faces unprecedented challenges. This is the sixth paragraph.

The New Message from God is here to alert, to empower and to prepare the human family—people from all nations and religious traditions, from all tribes, groups and orientations.

It is prophetic in alerting people to the Great Waves of change that are coming to the world and to humanity’s position in the universe, especially regarding your contact with other races.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? “The Great Waves of change” refer to an ongoing series of global-scale disruptions of what passes for normal life in the not-too-distant future, including disrupted climate, environmental degradation, declining resources, economic turmoil, involuntary human migration, wars of economic desperation, religious wars and intervention from outer space.]

It calls upon the great spiritual presence within each person—the great endowment of Knowledge that has been given to the entire human family, which must now be cultivated, strengthened and brought forth.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? Knowledge is a key technical term in the New Message from God, and is mentioned in one form or another in almost every revelation. The book Steps to Knowledge describes this phenomenon in great detail. While Knowledge is described in many ways, Step 10 of Steps to Knowledge, “What is Knowledge?” says “Let us say that Knowledge is not the things that are usually associated with it. It is not ideas. It is not a body of information. It is not a system of belief. It is not a process of self evaluation. It is the great mystery of your life. Its outward manifestations are profound intuition, great insight, inexplicable knowing, wise perception in the present and in the future and wise understanding of the past. But despite these great achievements of mind, Knowledge is greater than this. It is your True Self, a Self that is not apart from life.”]

It speaks to the great spiritual need of the individual—the need for purpose, meaning and direction.

It speaks to the needs of the world and the needs of the future. In so doing, it brings purpose and recognition, unity and cooperation, wisdom and strength to all who can receive it, who can learn it, who can follow its steps, who can contribute it to others and who can share its wisdom in service to other individuals, to families, to communities, to nations and to the whole world.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? About a dozen books of the New Message from God have already been published. Some of these books address the subject of individual development, such as Steps to Knowledge and Greater Community Spirituality. Some of these books address potential futures for humanity, such as The Great Waves of Change and Life in the Universe.]

When I say I am working through a limited self, what do I mean? Step 45. “Alone I can do nothing” of Steps to Knowledge says, “You work through the individual that is you personally, but you are greater than this. Accept the limitations of a limited self…”

I have shared on Step 45 before in this space, but I would like to elaborate some more today. When reconsidering this step to write this post I was particularly drawn by the idea of a limited self and the potential it has for doing nothing alone.

When I did Step 45 on December 23, 2013, I wrote in my notes: “I am very aware of this concept of accepting my limitations, recognizing them, which gives me humility, and in humility I am in a position to receive greatness. To put it in a different way, I often feel the humility that comes with recognizing my flaws, my disabilities, and in the past it has always been a new starting point to build up from again. And now this Step is teaching me that I can come to a position of strength and even accept and receive greatness in my life from this understanding of my limitations.”

There is not much I can do alone because I am working through a limited self. But in reality I am not alone, for I am part of a greater whole.

This becomes particularly apparent when I am drawn to other comments by Steps to Knowledge students that express other facets of the same idea.

Douglas brought my attention to one such comment: “God doesn’t get rid of our disabilities. He gives us great things to do,” said by someone (maybe Marshall himself he thinks) at Encampment last year.

And another veteran Steps student, Tom C, wrote in his blog on his Steps practice on Step 45 in reference to sharing his journal entries: “This opens me up, which may be a risk, but we need to know others in order that we together can do things. Thoughts can make us feel alone when no one else seems to share them. That has been my experience.”

This sharing brings the idea that alone I can do nothing closer to home.

I also find it very encouraging when I am pondering a particular idea and I am shown more confirmation of the very same idea. For instance, on the day I wrote this post, I opened Secrets of Heaven to page 192 and read:

You cannot find truth alone, for the truth is you are not alone.

Working through a limited self

My own notes for this step go on to say: “I am also aware that when I engage in creative writing and also in my professional work as a translator I receive inspiration and strength from some deep source within me that I now understand to be Knowledge. So indeed I can do nothing alone, from a separate, individual standpoint, only from a position of strength that transcends my limitations and comes from God.”

Indeed I do feel much of what I am able to contribute in the world comes not from me, from my limited self, but from a deeper well of inspiration and plenty, a source that is connected with the All There Is we call God.

Some small but substantial successes

There were some seeds sown during this period. One seed that was sown was the idea that if I am going to advance, I’m going to have to be more accountable as to what I am practicing. This seed was sown in Step 80, “I can only practice.” Another seed that was sown was the idea that if I am going to advance, I’m going to have to have a certain awareness of my craving for social rewards. I’m going to have to develop a certain indifference to social rewards. This seed was sown in Step 81, “I will not deceive myself today.”

Steps to Knowledge has mentioned the value of having a beginner’s mind, an attitude of humility, curiosity and enthusiasm toward the study of Steps to Knowledge. One of the good things about a beginner’s mind is not having expectations as to what kind of experience will occur in the study of something. It is as if Step 84 is answering the student’s question, “Is this how it’s supposed to look?”

“Review the practices and the instructions for the preceding week.Review your progress objectively. Realize how great your learning must be. Your steps now are small, but substantive. Small steps lead you all the way. You are not expected to take great leaps, yet each small step will seem like a great leap, for it will give you so much more than you have ever had before.”

Here is the word cloud for Steps 77 through 83:

I have been using the website Wordle for creating these word clouds. I don’t know how Wordle creates these word clouds, but I don’t believe that Wordle makes any effort to put related words next to each other, or unrelated words far away from each other. Shortly after I made this word cloud, I felt an inclination to separate the words from each other, so that other people could arrange the words as they saw fit. Here are the separated words:

And since I am inviting people to do something, it seemed like a good thing to accept my own invitation, and make my own word cloud for Steps 77 through 83:

I believe someone is reading this and thinking “I say, Douglas, you have a lot of time on your hands, don’t you?” Maybe, but I definitely thought about the Steps from which the words came as I rearranged the words. Who knows, maybe one day this will be a standard practice for engaging with the significance of a certain text. I can imagine my grandchildren saying “I have a clouding assignment in Language Arts class.”

Any student of Steps to Knowledge who has arrived at Step 78, “I can do nothing alone,” recognizes that from time to time, bold, forthright claims are made regarding certain ideas. The first time the claim is made, students sometimes wonder “Do they really mean that?” When the claim is made again a few steps later, students sometimes think, “Hmm…they really did mean that.” And when the claim is made yet again a few steps after that, students sometimes say to themselves, “Ok, ok! I get it! They really mean that!”

A greater truth than this you will not find

In Step 45, “Alone I can do nothing,” we are told that every accomplishment, every achievement is the product of relationship. Do they really mean that? Step 53, “My gifts are for others” declares “Alone you can do nothing. Alone you have no meaning. This is because you are not alone” Hmm…they really did mean that. Step 78, not only declares this again, but puts a sforzando exclamation point at the end. “You can do nothing alone, for you are not alone. A greater truth you will not find.” Ok, ok! I get it! They really mean that!

What do they mean by “great truth?” Back in Step 25, “I am at one with the greatest truth in life,” we were told that there was such a thing as great truth, and that it was the product of great relationship. When the physicists talk about great truth, they mean something that is true always and everywhere, at all velocities and at all energies. How does it feel to say these words?

We are now 15% of the way into the program. A number of remarkable things have been said about Knowledge. Some people might be wondering whether any of those remarkable things are supposed to have happened by now. I’m sure some people at this point look back at Step 10, “What is Knowledge?” and ask “Have I had any instances of profound intuition?” Any times of inexplicable knowing? Any new insights about the past?

I will accept my studenthood as it is

In other words, some people are putting their experience in one balance, and their ideal of what they think should happen in the other balance. In other words, they are not accepting their studenthood as it is. Step 54, “I will not live in idealism” and Step 55, “I will accept the world as it is” are about confronting and penetrating one’s idealism. It is not a big surprise that the Step 56 review has some material about not comparing one’s studenthood to a non-existent ideal:

“In today’s review, review the past week of lessons and your involvement with them. Try to understand that though progress may appear to be slow at first, that which is slow and even will progress greatly. Involvement that is consistently applied will give you the straight line to your accomplishment.

In your review, we again remind you to refrain from self-judgment if you have not met your expectations. Merely realize what is required to follow the instructions as they are given and involve yourself with them as fully as possible. Remember that you are learning to learn, and remember that you are learning to reclaim your self-worth and your true abilities.”

“Alone you can do nothing. Alone you have no meaning. This is because you are not alone.”

In the Steps to Knowledge universe, “alone” is not a proposition with a truth value of false. It is not exactly true to say Steps to Knowledge teaches that you are not alone. It teaches that “alone” is a non-well-formed idea. As if I were to type “susujsdlossw.oAE.lwehjubaFbvl.oSVADFfe!” and demand that you understand, appreciate and celebrate it. (Yes, I was slapping my hands on the keyboard. I’ve been wanting to do that from the very first time I used the phrase “non-well-formed”)

Suppose you were offered two choices for your destiny.

In one scenario, you receive everything you want. You receive whatever you believe will make you happy.

In the other scenario, you intensely participate in life, meet every person you came to meet, give every gift you came to give, fulfill your mission in life, and slide into the grave with every last drop of contribution wrung out of your individuality, and the last words escaping from your lips are “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.” Or “I gave what I came to give.”

I took a brief vacation from blogging about Steps to Knowledge after the lengthy Step 49 review of the first 48 steps. But I am now refreshed and ready to resume the ascent. Step 50 is “Today I will be with Knowledge.” What have we been told about Knowledge so far? We have been told, among other things…

After all the amazing things that have been said about Knowledge, to say that I can be with Knowledge is another amazing thing. Can that really be so? There seems to be some awareness that I would wonder things like this, as the step instructs “Do not argue with yourself about the reality of your pursuit, for that is wasteful and meaningless.”

I still struggled with the idea of practicing feeling something when I did this step. It helped when they said “relax and be present.” I could do that.

Source Documents

God Has Spoken Again
God is speaking to humanity anew, proclaiming a warning, a blessing and a preparation for a new world reality.

The One God
A book of revelation that provides a new understanding of the nature and reality of God and God’s Plan and Purpose in the world and in the Greater Community of life in the universe.

The New Messenger
A book of revelation regarding the origin, lineage and mission of the Messengers of God who, at different times in human history, have entered the world to receive and present New Revelations for humanity.

Relationships and Higher Purpose
Taking you beyond the normal parameters of human relationships to a deeper experience of union, purpose and meaning with those individuals with whom you share a greater destiny in life.

Steps to Knowledge
Taking you on the journey of discovering Knowledge, the mysterious source of your inner power and authority, given to you by God to guide and to protect you.

Living the Way of Knowledge
The New Message Teaching on how to bring the grace, the guidance and the power of Knowledge into the Four Pillars of your life: The Pillar of Relationships, The Pillar of Work, The Pillar of Health and The Pillar of Spiritual Development.

The Great Waves of Change
A prophecy of the difficult times ahead and the steps you can take to navigate an increasingly turbulent and uncertain future.

How Posts Are Organized – Как организуются сообщения

2) If a post is tagged with a given tag, it means either a) that post is part of a thread where all the posts in the thread have that tag (like "2012 Encampment" for example), or b) that an out-of-the-ordinary person, place or thing was referenced in the post (like "Boulder" for example)

4) Most of the posts written before August 2014 are related to the book "Steps to Knowledge," but were not tagged as such. A tag of the form "Step #" such as "Step 10" means the post with that tag is related to Step 10 of the 365 steps in Steps to Knowledge.